Imam shot, killed outside New Jersey mosque

NEWARK, N.J. — An imam has died from their injuries Wednesday after a shooting outside a mosque in New Jersey.

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Police responded to the shooting outside the Masjid Muhammad mosque in Newark just after 6 a.m., the city’s public safety director, Fritz Fragé, told The New York Times. A person at the mosque identified the victim to WNBC-TV as Imam Hassan Sharif.

He was taken to University Hospital in critical condition, NJ.com reported.

Imam died from his injuries following shooting

Update 4:54 p.m. EST Jan. 3: Authorities said that the imam has died from their injuries, according to The Associated Press.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said the imam’s death will be felt across Newark and New Jersey. According to the AP, Platkin said that evidence has not determined a motive connected to bias or terrorism.

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No evidence so far suggests shooting ‘motivated by bias,’ NJ AG says

Update 3:10 p.m. EST Jan. 3: Few details have been released about the shooting that injured Sharif outside the Masjid Muhammad mosque on Wednesday morning, though New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said that, so far, investigators “do not have any information suggesting the crime was motivated by bias,” USA Today reported.

“At a time when bias incidents against members of the Muslim community are on the rise, we know that this act of gun violence will heighten fears and concerns in our State,” he said, according to the newspaper. “Every possible angle will, of course, be explored and every lead will be fully investigated to bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, authorities had not made any arrests in connection with the shooting.

Imam underwent surgery after shooting, religious leader says

Update 2:40 p.m. EST Jan. 3: Sharif underwent surgery at University Hospital on Wednesday after being shot twice in the parking lot of Masjid Muhammad-Newark, Imam Wahy-ud Deen Shareef, convener of the Council of Imams in New Jersey, told NorthJersey.com.

Shareef told the news site that the imam had wrestled a gun away from a person months earlier after being attacked at gunpoint outside the mosque. The person ran and has not been apprehended, NorthJersey.com reported.

The shooting Wednesday and the earlier attack both happened after morning prayers, according to the news site.

Gov. Murphy: ‘My prayers are with Imam Hassan Sharif’

Update 2:35 p.m. EST Jan. 3: Gov. Phil Murphy shared that his prayers are with Sharif following Wednesday morning’s shooting outside the Masjid Muhammad mosque.

“At this point, we do not have any information about the perpetrators or motivations behind this incident, but I know law enforcement will provide updates as they become available,” the governor said in a statement posted on social media.

“At a time when the Muslim community is concerned by an increase of bias incidents and crimes, I want to assure the Muslim community and people of all faiths that we will do everything in our power to keep all residents safe, especially in or near our houses of worship.”

Original report: The circumstances leading up to the shooting were not immediately clear. Fragé told the Times that the shooter remained at large on Wednesday.

Dwayne Hill, a 64-year-old who has lived near the mosque for his entire life, told the newspaper that the people who worship at the mosque have been good neighbors.

“They keep to themselves and do what they believe in,” he said. “They’ve been feeding and clothing the neighborhood for years.”

Officials with the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations told WNBC that they are working to get more information on the shooting.

“We are deeply concerned about this incident and pray for the speedy recovery of the imam,” said Dina Sayedahmed, communications manager at CAIR-NJ. “Anyone with information about the shooting should immediately contact local police.”

Masjid Muhammad-Newark was founded as Temple No. 25 in 1957. It is also home to a K-12 Islamic school, the Clara Mohammed School-Newark, according to the mosque’s website.

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